Athens for NHS staff

Who can register for an NHS Athens account?

  • NHS staff
  • University staff with an NHS contract
  • University staff teaching NHS staff - considered on an individual basis

The NHS Evidence website has a more detailed list of who is eligible for NHS Athens.

Why do I need an NHS Athens account?

Registering for an NHS Athens account will enable you to access a collection of electronic resources bought for you by the NHS and whichever Trust you work for. These include:

  • databases (such as Medline, Embase, CINAHL, British Nursing Index)
  • over 1200 full-text electronic journals
  • an encyclopedia of 50,000 medical images
  • a growing collection of electronic books

How do I get an NHS Athens account?

We strongly recommend that you register using a PC within the NHS either in your workplace or in your local NHS library. This way, you will receive your account details almost immediately. You can register from home but it may take up to fifteen days to receive your account details.

You will need to have a personal email address, as this is where your account details and any communications about your account will be sent. Please ask the library staff if you don't have an email address and would like advice about setting one up.

NHS staff who work for University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust will find details of how to register for NHS Athens on staffnet.

NHS staff from other Trusts should go to NHS Evidence and click on the Register for Athens link (beneath the login button on the left of the screen).

How do I find out what resources my account gives me access to?

Once you have your NHS Athens username and password, go to My Athens and enter your details to see a list of all the resources you can access with your account. The page includes links that will take you directly to the resources on the web.

You can also access resources - and browse an A-Z list of many of the NHS e-journal titles - on NHS Evidence.

Forgotten passwords and registration problems

If you know your Athens username but have forgoten your password, you can reset your Athens password.

If you can't remember either your NHS Athens username or your password - or if you have a problem registering, you'll need to email the Athens helpdesk: athens.sdhct@nhs.net (sorry, no telephone helpline)

For more details, go to Forgotten your password? or Help with using MyAthens.

Can I have a University Athens account?

Consultants supporting School of Medicine students can register for a university username. Please contact the library for .

Not sure which resources to use or need help with searching?

The staff of the Health Services Library can help you make the best use of the electronic resources available to you via NHS Athens. Contact us on 023 8079 6541 (ext 6541 from SGH) or email: hslib@soton.ac.uk